PUTRAJAYA, March 11 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has issued a RM250,000 compound to Maestra Broadcast Sdn Bhd, operator of radio station Era FM.
MCMC in a statement announced that the compound, issued after approval from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, was for an offence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (after the amendment effective February 11, 2025), for uploading extremely obscene content on Era FM’s TikTok account.
According to the statement, MCMC received an appeal from Maestra regarding the notice of intent to suspend the licence that was issued to the company on March 7.
“After reviewing the arguments in the appeal, the decision has been made not to suspend Maestra Broadcast’s license.
“In making the decision, consideration was also given to the follow-up actions carried out by the licensee company, the apology by the parties involved, as well as the impact of the suspension on Melody and Mix FM radio stations operating under the same license,” the statement said.
The statement said that MCMC views seriously any uploading of content that may cause inter-religious tension or disrupt the harmony of Malaysia’s multiracial community.
“All platform operators and users are reminded to always be responsible in preserving racial and religious harmony in Malaysia and to comply with the laws of the country,” the statement said.
On March 4, three Era FM radio hosts apologised over a controversial video mocking the Hindu kavadi dance, a sacred ceremony performed during Thaipusam to Lord Murugan.
The video, which was uploaded to the station’s social media platform, shows one host mocking the Kavadi dance, chanting “Vel Vel”, amid laughter from other staff.
The video drew criticism as the hosts blatantly mocked Hindu traditions.
— Bernama
